Friday, December 22, 2000 - Christmas
Greetings
Seasons
greetings to one and all.
I
am sure you have all been following my latest exploits in
the press, with my Aston Villa manager John Gregory reportedly
claiming I was “carrying a bit of timber.” I spoke to John
about it and he assured me that he was just having a little
joke with the press, and that it got blown a little bit out
of proportion, as often happens with the media.
He
also said that sometimes I do not understand English humour,
because I am French, and I have to say that I do agree with
him, as I lose something in the translation on occasions.
I
am very careful about my body, especially at the age of 33.
I do not have the same metabolism as a player of 23, so I
work very hard to stay in shape.
I
was certainly fired up for our game against Manchester City
after all that publicity and I was delighted to score my first
goal for Villa. I felt the strongest and fittest I have done
since joining the club, and I think I proved that with my
performance. I hope there are many more where that came from.
I must say that I got a little bit carried away with my celebrations,
ripping my shirt off to show everyone what was later dubbed
my “six-pack.” I was just so happy to score after having a
difficult time with injury recently, and I was delighted to
give the Villa fans something to shout about.
I
don’t feel I did anything wrong by removing my shirt, but
unfortunately for me the referee disagreed, and decided he
had to book me. I don’t remember seeing too many other players
getting booked when they lift their shirts to display messages
on tee-shirts underneath, but it was just my luck to end up
with a yellow card. I took quite a bit of stick in the dressing
room afterwards from the rest of the lads, who dubbed me “Mr
Blobby,” but it was all good-natured banter, and we were able
to laugh about it, as they were delighted with my equalising
goal.
The
Villa fans have been demonstrating against our chairman, Doug
Ellis, in recent weeks, calling on him to “splash the cash.”
I would urge them to contain their frustrations, as it does
have an effect on the team. I promise the fans that all the
players are trying their best. I know the manager is actively
seeking new talent, but in this day and age, with an unpredictable
transfer market we just have to be patient.
We
have a realistic chance of finishing among the European places,
and that must be our aim in the second half of the season.
Of
course the fans have every right to vent their frustration.
They pay their money and are entitled to feel a little bit
aggrieved when things don’t go our way. But under no circumstances
must the demonstrations become too personal. No chairman,
manager or player deserves to be abused, or indeed to have
their family abused, so let’s be sensible about this.
On
this subject, I feel for my former chairman at White Hart
Lane, Sir Alan Sugar, who has announced he is selling his
controlling interest in Tottenham.
In
purely financial terms, Sir Alan has done a fantastic job
at Spurs and there is no doubting his business acumen. But
I think even he would accept that he is not really a football
man, and so he has decided that enough is enough.
He
said the abuse had become so bad, that his family no longer
wanted to go to White Hart Lane to watch the team, as they
could not stand to hear what fans were saying. That is unforgivable,
and again I think that nobody deserves to have that kind of
abuse aimed at them and their family.
Let
us just hope that now Sir Alan is stepping down, the new owners
bring the success the fans crave.
I
love this time of the year. Although we have a busy fixture
programme, I enjoy the family traditions which Christmas stands
for, and I am looking forward to spending the time with my
wife and our two children.
All
that remains is for me to wish each and every one of you a
very merry Christmas, and a happy 2001.
David Ginola
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